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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation: Antilock Brake Systems

Direct final rule; request for comments.

The FMCSA makes permanent the existing requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that trailers with antilock brake systems (ABS) be equipped with an external malfunction indicator lamp. The existing indicator lamp requirement was originally scheduled to sunset on March 1, 2009, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a final rule on August 25, 2009, that made permanent the requirement in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs) that manufacturers equip trailers with ABS and an external antilock malfunction indicator lamp. As the requirement for an exterior ABS malfunction indicator lamp on trailers of the FMCSRs cross-references the requirements of the FMVSSs, this direct final rule makes the FMCSRs consistent with the August 2009 NHTSA final rule.

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